The Doklam standoff has 'damaged and affected' the bilateral ties between India and China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said. Wang, however, said that the relations between the two neighbours were not 'derailed' by the 73-day standoff.

The Doklam standoff has ‘damaged and affected’ the bilateral ties between India and China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said. Wang, however, said that the relations between the two neighbours were not ‘derailed’ by the 73-day standoff. (Reuters image)

The Doklam standoff has ‘damaged and affected’ the bilateral ties between India and China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said, according to Indian Express report. Wang, however, said that the relations between the two neighbours were not ‘derailed’ by the 73-day standoff. This came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had held their first substantive bilateral meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen after the Dokalam standoff. “Sino-Indian relations are not derailed. Sino-Indian development represents the future of the world… win-win cooperation is an inevitable choice and the correct direction for Sino-Indian ties,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said. Notably, Wang was holding a press conference with Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told PTI, “PM Modi and President Xi agreed that efforts shall be made to orientate the development of China-India relations in the right direction.” “The two sides also agreed to respect and accommodate each other’s concerns and properly handle sensitive issues to avoid their impedance to the normal development of bilateral relations,” Hua said.

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The Chinese and the Indian troops were reportedly engaged in a standoff since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army. On August 28, India’s External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on “expeditious disengagement” of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.